What Lies Beneath
by HiddenSunrise24
Summary: Arthur always assumed he was normal; he was just a teenager who moved a million miles away from home to start a new chapter of his life in America. However everything changes when the world he thought he knew slowly shows its secrets. Maybe Arthur isn't as normal as he first thought.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:**_

_Guess who's back with a new usuk fic? I am! I haven't been active in a very long while – sorry about that - and recently celebrated 1 year of being on this site. _

_Seeing that I made this account 1 year ago and have done very little with it made me want to post something so here it is! This time I am determined to stick with this fanfiction and dedicate my upmost attention and brain power to it in order to finish it, even if we have just got a new Labrador puppy in the house that is 14 weeks old and needs a hell of a lot of attention. _

_So I've kind of had this idea for a while now but couldn't figure out how to put it into words in the way I want – I have this problem a lot because I imagine the scenes perfectly in my head but can never portray them in words exactly how I would like and this leads me to give up. But! I refuse to give in with this one. _

_So I hope you guys like the first chapter and please tell me if it is good enough for you guys. _

_On to the story! _

***What Lies Beneath* **

**Chapter 1**

Skies of baby blue were scattered with light white clouds, floating to wherever the wind carried them and creating shapes and forms across the open air. It was the perfect backdrop for one's first glance upon their new school. The building stood tall and proud as it was designed to give off a great impression. Silver gates signalled the entrance onto school grounds, the concrete paved ground leading towards the double glass doors that was the entrance to the front of the school. A large sign was perfectly intact above those doors reading the schools name and logo in perfect text and shined under the sun showing it had been cleaned recently and was well looked after. Forest green eyes took in the sight of his new school, looking over its features before his eyes landed on the doors he would have to walk through to begin his new adventure and life here in America. A gentle, but warm, breeze ruffled through straw blond hair before allowing it to settle back into its messy form atop his head, strands spiked out in many different directions. A few strands of hair fell forward, drifting in front of his leafy eyes which were bright despite the fact his thick and dark eyebrows were angled above them into a frown. His skin was pale like porcelain and under the warm rays of the sun almost glowed, showing his British heritage almost instantly. A bag was thrown upon his shoulder and left there to dangle beside his hip, only a notebook and a pencil case thrown in there in preparation for the day. Taking in a deep breath he stepped forward and walked towards the double doors to the school, suddenly becoming self-conscious when a few students exited the building and walked past him, giving him glances that studied him quickly. He did his best and ignored them, holding his head high and pushing open the doors. Instantly a cool air pushed against him as he entered, indicating the air conditioning system was doing its job. Nerves that had subsided in his stomach twisted and curled, scratching at his insides as they made their presence known. Without thinking his walking stopped and he looked around at the new sights.

A reception desk was neatly placed in front of him with a small waiting area consisting of a few chairs. On either side of the reception were sliding doors that entered the main building of the school students walking in and out as they so pleased. The blond was ripped from his thoughts when someone slammed into him, knocking him off balance and sending him stumbling. He managed to gain his balance and looked back at the person who'd hit him when he was pushed again, this time a rude 'get out the way' coming with it. Scowling, he regained his composure and looked in the direction of the people who had knocked him.

"Wankers!" He shouted, his British accent bouncing from the walls, before turning back to the sound of chuckling, the receptionist doing her best to hide the giggles behind her hand. Red painted his pale cheeks and he looked down at the floor in embarrassment, pleading it to open and take him back to England, however, it didn't do anything of the sort.

"You must be out new student," The receptionist smiled from behind her desk, signalling for him to come over.

"Um… Yes."

"Can I take your name, it's just so I can make sure."

"Arthur Kirkland," He said as he walked over, adjusting his bag on his shoulder before peering over the desk at the woman. She fluttered through several papers before nodding and smiling warmly at him.

"Welcome to World Academy Arthur, here is your time table. Be sure to learn it." Arthur nodded and took the paper offered to him, eyes scanning the lessons he had and which rooms in which they were held. A slight sense of panic washed over him when he saw the room numbers – he didn't know where these rooms were!

"Don't worry; a student with the same timetable as you is coming to show you around. Although he should be here by now, if you'd like to take a seat I'll find out where he is for you."

Oh great.

He'd embarrassed himself in front of the receptionist and now his guide for the day was late, could a first day possibly get any worse? Just as Arthur sat down and placed his bag on the floor at his feet a student flew – literally – through the sliding doors, stumbled over the carpet and fell flat on his face with a resounding thud. Luckily for him the reception area was empty except from the receptionist and Arthur himself. Arthur watched in a startled silence from his seat as the boy scrambled to his feet again, albeit a tad bit shakily, and looked around like a deer caught in the headlights. The boy was visibly taller and built bigger than Arthur, his muscled arms bare for all to see from the T-shirt he wore. His skin was nicely tanned from the sun's rays and matched perfectly with the golden wheat locks sat upon his head, a strange strand of hair curled skyward; Arthur questioned whether it was styled like that or natural. Cerulean blue eyes were wide as they darted around the room before landing on Arthur, wire framed glasses sitting upon his nose which were slightly crooked from his fall. Quickly he adjusted his glasses so they were straight again before bouncing towards Arthur with a perfect white smile that was almost blinding to the eye.

"Hi! Are you the new guy?" He asked cheerfully as if he hadn't just face planted the floor mere seconds before. Behind him, Arthur could see the receptionist was shaking her head with her hand over her eyes before she noticed Arthur was watching her, giving him a quick encouraging smile. Green eyes flickered back to the blond stood in front of his seat and nodded as he stood up.

"Yes."

"Awesome! I'll show you around because I'm a hero like that and we have all the same classes together, how cool is that?" The enthusiasm and energy coming from the boy hit Arthur in the face like a tonne of bricks and was so overwhelming that Arthur could only blink blankly at him, his timetable being stuffed harshly into his jacket pocket.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, you want me to slow down? No problem that's cool, it is hard to keep up with a hero such as myself-"

"Please stop."

"Huh?" Arthur looked up into surprised eyes that reminded him of the endless skies, his eyebrows angled into a scowl.

"I can't understand a single word your saying."

"Oh… sorry…" The student rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and looked down at the floor before shyly holding out his hand, a softer smile upon his lips. "Um… Let me start over, I'm Alfred. Alfred F Jones." Arthur found himself smiling ever so slightly at the other – he had to look friendly at least - as he gripped his hand and shook it.

"Arthur Kirkland."

"So can we start over? Like, let's pretend I didn't fall flat on my face like a lame ass and was late. You saw none of it okay?"

"Saw what?" Alfred's smile brightened immediately before he turned and looked at the reception area.

"Well… this is reception."

"I can see that," Arthur chuckled as Alfred sighed and slumped his shoulders as he began walking into the school, Arthur following.

"I haven't done this before okay?"

"I can see that too."

"That obvious huh?"

"Slightly, but that's quite alright. I'd rather someone show me around like this then some know-it-all who would list every minute detail about something stupid like the architecture and history of the building," Arthur reassured him as he noticed the deflated look in the other's eyes fade away with each word he spoke. Alfred seemed like a nice bloke, although his happiness and excitement already grated on the Brit's nerves slightly; he never was a social butterfly nor did he really have friends back in England, talking to people other than himself wasn't something he was greatly experienced with.

"That's great because between me and you, I don't really know every inch of the school so even if you asked me to explain everything I kinda wouldn't be able to…" Alfred chuckled nervously but Arthur nodded in understanding as the tour around the school continued. Alfred explained different things about the school along the way but it was in such a unique and interesting way, Arthur never really noticed he was learning a lot. He simply indulged in the knowledge Alfred was pouring out despite stating earlier he nothing about the school; Arthur noted that he knew more than he was letting on. Each room was shown to the Brit, Alfred giving clear directions on how to work around the school and get to each classroom, sometimes a personal experience of Alfred's slipping in about a certain room or class. He told Arthur about break times and where to get lunch, what activities there were after school and that the library stayed open an hour later than when school finished for those waiting for others participating in the clubs and those who wanted to stay back and read a particular book. By the end of the tour a whole hour had gone by and the shriek of the bell alerted the two that lunch break was beginning.

"Hey, you wanna get some lunch?" Alfred asked as Arthur looked around the corridor they were stood in. Lockers were lined against the walls and soon after the bell students filed out and began to fill the small area, diving towards their own individual lockers. "Don't worry about a locker, they're pretty much useless. Most of us don't bother with them because they're easy to break into; this lot just haven't learnt that yet." Emerald eyes looked up to the American at his side, curiosity shinning in his eyes.

"You've had something stolen?" Arthur asked, scowling when Alfred grabbed him and pulled him to the side to avoid a collision with a group of boys who strode past without a care in the world for others.

"How about we discuss this when we get lunch? Standing here isn't the best idea." Arthur was about to protest that people should show some respect when he saw a rather huge and angry looking boy storming towards them, his eyes locked on the locker behind them.

"Yes, I totally agree with that idea," he spat out as fast as he could before grabbing Alfred's wrist and dragging him towards where the canteen was, managing to dodge the large student who crashed into his locker and angrily ripped it over, almost tearing it off its hinges. Both students watched the boy, Arthur in horror, as he let go of Alfred's wrist. A scowl settled firmly on his face when he heard that Alfred was laughing.

"What are you laughing for?" Blue eyes looked in his direction and he smiled brightly at the Brit.

"That's Monster Murray, staying out his path is probably the best."

"I noticed that! He could have crushed us!"

"That's Murray for ya."

"I mean really, people need to show some respect for their fellow pupils not try to kill them."

"You wanna go tell him that?" Alfred asked as he pushed open the doors to the canteen, allowing Arthur to walk in first before striding in at his side. The canteen looked very different now that it was bustling with students. All the previously clean and empty tables were littered with student's lunches and trays of food, people hunched around their tables almost protectively. Arthur also noticed how loud it was, the voices of all the students combined pounding against his ear drums as they demanded to be heard. The Brit followed closely as Alfred led them to the line for lunch, picking up a tray for both of them and sliding them along the line. Arthur watched carefully as Alfred asked for his food, noticing how the dinner lady smiled brightly at him as she delicately placed his dinner onto his tray before turning to Arthur, her smile falling and her eyes losing all interest. The small smile that had formed on his thin lips died instantly as he asked for his food, blinking in horror as it was slopped onto his plate and the woman shouted 'Next!' in his face. His tray was then pushed out the way by the girl behind him but he successfully managed to hold it steady in his hands as he gave it a death glare, daring it to fall over. His eyes then floated up to see Alfred stood waiting for him, chuckling slightly he smiled brightly at him. Arthur felt his cheeks heat up and lowered his head as he walked over to him, the American giving his shoulder a gentle nudge in the correct direction. The smaller blond looked around at the busy canteen and how most people had turned to look at him, giving him dirty glares as he passed their table – some even hiding their free chairs so he had no chance of sitting with them.

…

Well stuff them!

Arthur would happily sit wherever there was a space even if that meant at the very back by himself in the corner where he noticed a table was free.

"Hey!" A familiar toned voice brought him from his thoughts to see Alfred stood a couple of strides behind him, holding his tray in front of him and watching the other questioningly. "Um, where're you going?" Arthur blinked in confusion, his eyebrows furrowing further as he looked back at the table he was headed too.

"I thought…" He mumbled looking at the table then down at his food, suddenly embarrassed.

"Aren't you gonna sit with us? Well… um… I mean… aren't you gonna sit with… me?" Alfred stumbled on his words, his voice only just reaching the Brit who watched as the American's cheeks lightly dusted themselves pink and his wonderfully blue eyes avoided his gaze. Whilst the other wasn't looking Arthur allowed a tiny smile to grace his lips, making it vanish the instant Alfred looked back to him. With a nod of his head he turned on his heel and walked to Alfred's side, giving the empty and peaceful table one last glance before looking up at the other.

"Where do you sit?" He asked and watched as the light reappeared in Alfred's eyes.

"Just over there. C'mon!" He cheered and hurried towards a table were a few people were already sat, a chair already empty and obviously awaiting the eager American. Nerves fluttered again in Arthur's stomach as he realised Alfred was taking him to 'his' table, where his friends were sat and that meant being introduced to those friends and worse: introducing himself. Alarm bells rang out in his head telling him to back out and retreat to the corner while he still could, that way he wouldn't make a fool of himself and be thought strange by Alfred's friends. However before he even reached the table all of Alfred's friends turned to look at him as if they knew he was coming their way, each one inspecting him. Apparently Alfred didn't notice any of this and threw his tray down on the table as he smiled and greeted his friends, none of them answering or looking away from Arthur who had frozen to the spot gripping his tray so tightly his knuckles were turning white. After a moment of getting nothing out his friends Alfred realised they were all staring the Brit down – obviously making his new friend uncomfortable – and bounded away from the table to the green-eyed blond. Arthur's mouth had gone completely dry and he hardly registered that Alfred had come over and was tugging him to the table. He shook his head and avoided the gazes watching his every movement.

"Hey guys! So this is the new kid I was asked to show around! His name's Arthur~" Alfred beamed and patted Arthur on the back rather forcefully causing his tray to rattle when he put it down upon the table beside Alfred's. Forest green eyes looked over the people at the table and awkwardly lifted his hand to wave it only for his hand to move only a fraction.

"…Um… Hi." Arthur forced a small smile to try and look somewhat natural but it failed as his arm fell to his side and sighed lightly for even bothering to try and make a good impression in the first place. After an awkward moment of silence the group seemed to suddenly relax, smiles brightening their faces as they looked up at Arthur as if they hadn't just been giving him the glare of death. Beside him he swore he head Alfred sigh heavily in relief but ignored it as the boy sat in the chair closest to him stood up and held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Matthew. I'm Alfred's twin brother."

There was defiantly now doubt in that.

He looked almost identical to Alfred at first glance however instantly Arthur could spot the differences between to two. Matthew's hair, although the same colour, was longer and waved around his face as it was cut to his jaw, a strand of hair looping into a loose curl and hanging to the side of his head. His eyes were also framed by a pair of identical wire framed spectacles but behind them were strange and unique violet eyes – something Arthur had never seen before and found rather intriguing. Arthur nodded and took his hand, shaking it, and looking into the pools of lavender that oozed with kindness and warmth.

"Arthur."

"Nice to meet you Arthur, I'm sorry you had my brother show you around. He can be a bit… overwhelming at first."

Que a faint 'Hey!' from Alfred.

"Oh it's quite alright, in fact, he's been rather nice to me so far." Arthur jumped when an arm fell around his shoulders and Alfred's laugh echoed down his ear, Matthew smiling fondly at his twin.

"Hear that Mattie? Artie and I are besties!" Arthur's cheeks flushed a little at the close contact before he shook his head and looked up at Alfred with a deep scowl, his arm slowly falling from the Brit's shoulders.

"I'm sorry what did you call me?"

"Artie~"

"What the bloody hell is an 'Artie'?"

"Your nickname!" Alfred beamed but before Arthur could respond there was a rather loud crash at his side before someone literally fell onto his arm, almost tugging him to the floor. Immediately leafy orbs turned and noticed that Matthew was no longer stood in front of him, instead he was struggling to get out of a chair he'd obviously been pushed into. Arthur supressed a giggle at the other's fed up expression as he looked down at his arm to see a boy standing up, using Arthur's arm as support. As soon as he was stable on his feet he looked at Arthur and almost blinded him with a smile that rivalled Alfred's.

"Hi! I'm Feliciano but everyone calls me Feli so you can too if you want~" The boy said brightly and Arthur could only blink at him, no emotion upon his face.

This boy was defiantly something.

He appeared to be bouncing on the spot as he gripped Arthur's sleeve, golden brown eyes filled with light and happiness – maybe a little too much happiness for Arthur's liking. Reddy/Brown hair hung around his face with a centre parting revealing his fair skinned forehead, a stray strand of hair curled to the side of his head.

"Hello."

"Oh you're British! Lovino look he's British!" The boy almost squealed as he tugged on Arthur's sleeve. Arthur forced an awkward laugh and nodded as he pried his shirt from the other's grasp, brushing out the creases he'd made in the fabric.

"I don't care! Leave the poor kid alone; can't you see you're fucking him up?" The voice came from across the table and took Arthur's eyes with it revealing a much less happier look-alike to the boy stood beside him. The two looked very much alike however this boy's hair was darker like a mahogany colour with red shining through it and also his skin was olive in complexion allowing his rather mystifying eyes to stand out. Amber eyes looked like liquid gold however there were spots of green splashed in there making his eyes a very earthy tone and one Arthur had never seen before.

"The fuck are you staring at eyebrows?" He glared and Arthur naturally glared back with the same intensity at the mention of his eyebrows but again, before he could speak a word, he was cut off by a whine from Feliciano at his side.

"Aw Fratello! Don't be nasty to him."

"I'm not, he was staring and he shouldn't be," Lovino said without tearing away from his glaring competition with Arthur which finally shattered when Matthew finally got to his feet and stood in the way, Alfred grabbing Arthur's wrist and forcing him down into the chair that was empty. Acidic green eyes turned and looked up at the American, blinking in confusion before scowling at him.

"I'm perfectly capable of standing."

"I know." Was the response he got before Alfred dragged up another chair and sat beside him, nudging the tray in front of him and silently telling Arthur he should start eating. The Brit rolled his eyes and looked at the food on his plate, not really sure he wanted to eat it simply from the way it was looking at him.

"It's not that bad," Alfred said from his side, pocking at his own food until he found a bit that he liked and ate it.

"If it wasn't bad then you wouldn't be picking at it."

"I'm not picking at it."

"You're picking at it, I can see."

"No I'm not!"

"Alfred, just admit the food here is shit. I'm Italian I would know," Lovino sighed from across the table as he sat back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the table in front of his brother who didn't seem to mind, instead playing with the laces on his shoes. Arthur looked over the said Italian slightly confused as to why he was backing him up at this point before ignoring that and glaring at his feet on the table because Arthur was a man of manners, having ones shoes on the table was simply not hygienic. He was quick to get over it (He lived with 4 older brothers, he was used to this kind of behaviour) and turned back to Alfred who rolled his eyes and pushed his tray away from him as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Fine! The food here is shit. Arthur, please feel free to slap Lovino if he gets on your nerves."

"Ha I don't think so," Lovino chuckled. Arthur smiled and decided to play along, looking down at his food he pocked with his fork.

"I think I could take him if it came to it."

That comment was something Arthur hadn't expected to cause such an impact.

Suddenly a pair of hands were slammed on the table in front of his face, either side of his tray. Instantly Arthur jumped, his eyes snapping up to see Lovino's eyes burning into him.

"Even attempt a move on me and trust me, you won't see what's coming at you," He growled in his face, giving Alfred a dark glare before scraping his chair back more and storming off. Feliciano scampered to collect his bags and get to his feet, giving a small apologetic wave before fleeing after his brother a faint 'Lovi wait!' echoing back to the table.

"Sounds like a fun chap," Arthur sighed as he looked at his hands folded in his lap, completely losing his appetite. Alfred laughed, covering his mouth that was now filled with sandwich as he did so; Arthur noticed that Matthew was missing half a sandwich but he didn't look too bothered.

"Lovino's like that, he tends to get a little grumpy towards people. Never seen him act like that though."

"Great." Arthur was suddenly met with the image of himself in Lovino's place only without the outburst, realising that he acted like that too. He shied away from people and dared them to break past his grouchy exterior. So far in his life no one had even attempted to get to know him properly after hearing all the rumours about how mean and bratty he was. He wasn't a brat, he never had been, he just couldn't openly trust someone like everyone else. Keeping to himself was something he was good at; having friends wasn't. The Brit nodded before the bell went and Alfred got up to guide Arthur to his classes, discreetly leaving his twin to clean up all the trays on the table.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Alfred sighed heavily as he repositioned his bag on his shoulder, watching the path he walked along with sapphire blue eyes. Beside him walked his brother as silent as ever although Alfred could sense he was quite for a reason this time, as if thinking over a question that he could quiz Alfred on.

"So, you certainly hit it off with Arthur." Alfred stopped in his tracks, his feet acting as anchors latching onto the ground making him stop suddenly. Matthew continued a couple of steps before stopping and looking back at him curiously – was that a smug look on his face?

"What is that supposed to mean?" Alfred asked as he stepped forward and continued walking with his brother. Matthew chuckled and looked up at the sun brightening up the street with it's warm rays.

"Take it how you like. I was just saying you acted a little differently towards him in comparison to anyone else."

"I'm nice to everyone I meet."

"I'm pretty sure I've never heard you sigh in relief like you did when you introduced him to our group." Alfred rolled his eyes as he took in a breath and looked up at the sky beyond the horizon, the houses and buildings making the perfect foreground for the blue background.

"You stared him down like he was some animal!"

"You still sighed like a girl."

"Hey! He's just… Different that's all…"

"… Certainly smells different. You can literally feel the energy emitting from him," Matthew chuckled and Alfred nodded in agreement with a smile.

"So you did notice?"

"You know I did, we wouldn't have started at him like idiots if we didn't notice." Alfred nudged him with his elbow, a suspicious glint shining in his eyes.

"I'm sure you would have."

"We aren't all like Lovino you know, if anyone, he would be the one to glare at whoever you brought over. I'm pretty surprised Arthur acted so calm when he exploded like that."

"I know right!" Alfred chuckled as the streets began to fade away and they took a turn onto the driveway of a large house, thick woodland standing behind it and obviously acting like a garden. The woodland acted like a safety barrier, cupping the house within it so no one could really see what happened behind closed doors.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

That evening Arthur walked into his apartment like a zombie and collapsed onto the thing closest to him: the sofa. He face planted the cushions and allowed his bag to fall to the ground beneath it, exhaling loudly before rolling over and lying on his back with his eyes closed.

He was shattered.

The day had been so tiring and there was so much for him to remember that he felt like he'd been at the school for years, not walked in a brand new student that morning. His eyes fluttered open at the thought as he simply looked up at the ceiling; in fact he felt like he'd know Alfred for years too but somehow at the same time he didn't. The conversation that flowed between them usually came natural – even if it was Alfred pestering him until he answered a question – although it could get awkward at times like it would between any pair of friends, yet he didn't feel like he knew he well enough to call him a friend. From a single day with Alfred he'd learnt that there was defiantly more to him than one would first think. He was more knowledgeable then he let on and Arthur could sense that beneath his Hollywood smile and his ability to befriend anyone there was something more, something Arthur didn't know yet. Sighing to himself the Brit sat up and looked around his apartment, the sight that greeted him not at all the homely one he would like. The apartment was bare, with white washed walls that were slowly staining and wooden floors. The only other thing in the living room other than the sofa was a TV and it was a basic one at that. The kitchen was no better with only the basics that one would need to live off and his front door was slowly falling off its hinges. The bedroom was completely empty save from a creaky old bed and his belongings that he'd tried to brighten the room with. It was certainly not the place Arthur expected to be living in but here he was, complaining about it would get him nowhere as he'd found out when he first arrived here and spent the entire day whining and moaning about the shabby apartment like a child. With tired eyes the blond decided that his plans for tonight would be to complete the homework he'd been given – I mean who gave homework to new students on their first day, really? – Then relax and watch a bit of television with a spot of tea before bed. With his plans confirmed Arthur pushed himself from the sofa, dragging his bag behind him to the kitchen where he fell into one of the kitchen chairs and piled his homework onto the table, glaring at it for good measure before he started and got his evening going.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: **_

_So the ending of this is kind of cliché – well I feel it is – but I seriously didn't know how to end this chapter. Not much happens in this chapter either but there are little hints of what is to come and the like and more characters appear here too._

_Although this story is centred around UsUk there will be other parings making appearances with their own little side stories. These parings will, naturally, be my other favourite parings which are SpaMano and PruCan. _

_Oh, and my languages aren't the best so if anything is wrong I apologise greatly. _

***What Lies Beneath***

**Chapter 2**

The next day Arthur appeared at school a little early so he could give himself time to find his class room and get to know the school better. He was a little disappointed though when he got there that Alfred wasn't there waiting for him. He hadn't expected him to do something like that out of the blue, of course, but when they parted yesterday afternoon Alfred had said that he'd be waiting for him at the gates, yet when the Brit got there he wasn't. Thinking that Alfred was running a little late he decided to wait but after ten minutes of standing by himself he thought about giving up. Pale fingers lifted his bag higher up onto his shoulder as he looked for Alfred once more, emerald orbs once again seeing nothing and filling with a slight sadness.

Not that he needed Alfred!

He just didn't want to be on his own; simply seeing Matthew, Feliciano or even Lovino would have been just as good yet he hadn't seen them either. A small deflated sigh escaped his lips before he suddenly got the feeling he was being watched, the presence of someone's eyes on him pocking at his brain in a warning. Slowly he turned to look at the school behind him, eyes lifting and looking around the students stood outside too. Instantly his eyes noticed a group of three boys stood suspiciously not too far away. His instinct to look in that direction was deadly accurate because his eyes immediately met with three pairs of eyes, all of different colours. One set of sky blue, one set of moss green and one set of disturbing and slightly creepy red. The boy with the red eyes seemed to be in a trance with him, his eyebrows angled into a scowl at the blond. His skin was extremely pale and matched his snowy white hair allowing for his blood red eyes to stand out in the crowd and bury themselves into Arthur. The other two noticed the Brit looking their way and looked away, the one with blue eyes turning his head the opposite direction causing his shoulder length sunny blond hair to flick as he did so. The other nudged his friend slightly, his jade green eyes choosing to settle on him instead of Arthur. His eyes were bright against his beautifully tanned mocha skin that matched perfectly with his curly chocolate brown hair. Arthur was quick to turn back around, not liking the way the albino boy was looking at him. I mean really who stared at someone like that? And not bother to look away when that person catches you. He nearly screamed when he was tapped on the shoulder and jumped around only to see those same three boys stood directly behind him. He bit hard on his lip to stop a scream as he looked at them with wide eyes before clutching his chest and glaring at them.

"Bloody hell! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" He hissed as them but the trio seemed unfazed. The albino smiling brightly with his two friends as if they hadn't been staring the blond down a second ago from across the grounds – wait a second, how did they even get over here so quick?

"Sorry kid, we just noticed that you look a little lost." The red-eyed boy smiled at him with a toothy white smile however Arthur only scowled at him, his eyebrows furrowed together.

"I'm not a kid, I'm pretty sure I'm in your year so don't treat me like I'm any younger than you."

"I doubt you'll be older~" The brown haired boy sang with a slight chuckle, pouting when he was jabbed in the ribs by the albino.

"My name's Gilbert but you already know that because I'm awesome! These two are my awesome buddies: Antonio and Francis," He beamed indicating to the other two boys with their respective names. Arthur's scowl fell a little but remained only a little less prominent, he was still suspicious of these three.

"Arthur…"

"Well Arthur, now we have graced you with our awesome presence do you need help getting to class?" Peridot eyes peered into rubies before shaking his head.

"I'm quite alright thank you, I don't need an escort," He said firmly however was completely ignored as Gilbert threw his arm around his shoulder and dragged him into walking with him, Antonio squishing him from his other side so he had no choice but to walk between them. He fumbled with his bag and stumbled a little but it didn't bother Gilbert as he led them into school.

"So what class you got?"

"Um… Biology I think."

"Awesome, what room?"

"I'm guessing a science lab but like I said, it's just a guess." Arthur couldn't stop himself before the comment had escaped his lips, falling silent for a moment as he thought for sure the trio would take him to a side and beat him up for it. They certainly didn't look like they were the kind of people to take sarcastic shit like that, but then again Arthur had been wrong before. He was pleasantly surprised when Gilbert burst into laughter (More of a cackle really) causing the other two to burst into laughter too. Arthur just went along with it, smiling shyly as he was forced to walk with them – he still didn't know these people very well so going along with them was the best the Brit could do. Before he knew it the trio had lead him to his biology classroom and they were stood outside the room waiting for the bell to ring. Arthur stood patiently at the door, Gilbert stood to his side whilst Antonio and Francis stood in front of him.

"It looks like we share the same class amigo~" Antonio chirped happily, his green eyes scanning his surroundings in mild interest. Beside him, Francis sighed dramatically and flicked his hair, sky blue eyes landing upon the Brit before him.

"Such a shame I do not share such a class with you Arthur. Maybe we shall be seated together in another class… perhaps chemistry?" He purred in his French accented voice that was deep and flirtatious. At the comment Arthur found himself disgusted not only at the fact that he hardly knew the guy who was flirting with him – no way would he ever been interested in a French frog such as Francis - but also the fact that he felt himself blush at such a cheesy comment. Damn him! Already Arthur knew about Francis' reputation simply from overhearing his name yesterday as he walked around and from the looks he'd seen the Frenchman give each girl in the hallway as they'd come here.

"You wish!" He snapped at him with a scowl – one that warmed Francis to back off; however he appeared to take no notice of it.

"You know you want me mon cher!" He smirked as he turned on his heel and walked off down the corridor out of sight. Emerald orbs rolled before landing upon Gilbert at his side who was chuckling lightly and leaning on his shoulder slightly. Realising what he was doing, he quickly pushed himself up right however a small pink blush formed across his pale cheeks and he faked a cough to cover up what he'd done.

"Um… I'll be going now. See ya at lunch?" He asked rubbing the back of his neck and glaring at his Spanish buddy who was snickering behind his hand. Arthur eyed the two before shrugging his shoulders and looking at his classroom where others were beginning to sit down for the class to start.

"We'll see."

"Ah, keeping me guessing huh? Well if not, see ya around okay? I'm sure you'll be seeing more of the awesome me!" Gilbert beamed as he punched Arthur's shoulder lightly however it still left him rubbing the offended area; he was surprised when a harder punch was applied to Antonio's shoulder but the other only laughed and watched his friend go – not fazed by the punch in the slightest. Once Gilbert was gone, Antonio turned back and saw Arthur watching him before giving him a reassuring look.

"Gilbert does that a lot – I'm used to it." Arthur nodded and was about to walk into the classroom when Antonio stepped in front of him and blocked his path, his eyes almost glowing as he smirked at the smaller Brit in front of him. "Gilbert doesn't blush very often, you should be proud of yourself." The Spaniard winked before turning on his heel and strolling into the classroom, cheerfully greeting his friends and fellow classmates as he sat in his seat. Arthur remained immobile for a few moments, pondering what exactly Antonio had meant by that statement – although he had a pretty rough idea – before quickly moving into the classroom upon hearing the sound of a teachers clicking heels coming down the corridor towards him. After being shown to an empty seat upon the arrival of the teacher he didn't fail to notice the way a pair of jade orbs followed him all the way to his chair.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

By the time lunch approached Arthur was rather surprised that he still hadn't seen or even heard Alfred. He was due to be in both his previous lessons that he'd had this morning yet his seat had remained untouched both times, reminding him of his absence. As he made his way to the canteen he thought about Antonio's strange words that morning and the fact that through his entire lesson with him, out the corner of his eyes, he'd seen the Spaniard watching him thoughtfully. Arthur refused to acknowledge his words as anything to be worried about but that thoughtful look? That made Arthur suspicious about him and the other two that formed their little trio.

As usual the canteen was bustling with students getting their dinners and chatting eagerly with friends at the different tables each with their own friend groups. Almost immediately emerald orbs landed upon the table he had sat at yesterday, hopeful that Alfred – or Matthew for that matter – were already sat there however he was disappointed once more, the feeling swelling in the pool of his chest again. On the bright side Lovino and Feliciano were sat at the table appearing to chat quietly as they kept their heads down and close together, giving off a vibe that they really didn't want to be interrupted by anyone simply from the way they were sat. Arthur scowled but soon found his eyes wondering again only to land on a table where three boys were sat, all three looking back at him with familiar faces. Gilbert was slouched down in his chair with his feet upon on the table; his head twisted to the side in order to wave at the Brit with a bright white grin. Antonio was sat comfortably in his chair and waving almost as vicariously as Gilbert, leaving Francis casually waving on Gilbert's other side. Seeing as he'd already been invited to lunch with them and Alfred had failed to make an appearance and grant him access to the table with Lovino and Feliciano he waltzed over to them, thinking nothing of the pair of golden eyes - belonging to the Italian brother's - watching him pass.

Upon reaching the table Gilbert looked up at him - resting his head on the back of his chair – with a warm smile as his silver hair fell back and away from his pale face, ruby red eyes shining up at the Brit.

"So you decided to sit with us huh?"

"I'm not sure yet, I'm going to say hello to Feliciano and Lovino in a moment or two," Arthur explained his intentions, scowling slightly upon the reaction he received. Antonio's smile fell a little and something changed within his eyes, almost as if he were torn between emotions although what they were Arthur couldn't pinpoint – only Antonio was fighting against them and that the change in his aura was dramatic. Francis' smile also fell as his sky blue eyes looked across the table to his friend, eyebrows drawn into a small scowl as he watched the Spaniard for a seconds before shaking his head and smiling again within the blink of an eye as if nothing had happened in that split second. As for Gilbert, his smiled also faded and his eyes lost focus as if in deep thought as his eyebrows drew together in a dark scowl. However the Prussian saw the look in the Brit's eyes above him and immediately wiped the look from his face, replacing it with a bright smile.

"Why don't you sit down?" Arthur raised an eyebrow but said nothing about what had just happened, his eyes looking over instead at Antonio who was staring at the table like it was the cause of all his problems in life.

"Like I said, I'm off to see the others now so I'll be back when I'm back." Gilbert nodded and sat up straight, giving him a small wave as the blond moved to walk away. Arthur sighed and shook his head as he wondered over to the table he had sat at yesterday, now looking a lot bigger with only two sat around it instead of the five (Including himself) it had yesterday. Upon stopping at the table, Feliciano's head rose and looked up at him however Lovino's stayed low as he looked at the table.

"Um… Hi."

"Hello Arthur~" Feliciano smiled happily.

"H-Have you seen Alfred today? Or Matthew? It was just… I was wondering where they were…" Arthur stuttered.

Stuttered!

Arthur Kirkland did not stutter!

Well… only occasionally.

Minty orbs looked directly into chocolate brown as Feliciano's smile faltered, opening his mouth to speak only for his voice to never leave his mouth.

"They're both sick, Alfred told me to tell you but I never had the chance. He doesn't have your number so he couldn't tell you himself." Lovino succeeded in cutting his brother off, eyes lifting to meet with Arthur's. The blond nodded as he messed with the strap of his bag, pale fingers awkwardly tugging on it.

"O-Oh…"

"Yeah…" An awkward silence fell over the three of them and Arthur glanced to his side to see the trio talking to one another although they appeared serious and not as loud as Arthur expected them to be.

"You can sit with us if you'd like?" Feliciano piped up with a warm and friendly smile, eyeing the chair beside him and then the other multiple chairs surrounding the table. Arthur cracked a shy smile, ready to speak but was beaten to it.

"No he can't." Instantly all eyes landed on Lovino glaring at the table, his eyebrows drawn into a deep and pretty scary looking scowl. However Arthur knew that scowl – he scowled like that all the time – and was so unaffected by it. Feliciano was also obviously unaffected as he looked at his brother with a slightly opened mouth scowl of his own, questioning his brother silently.

"B-But-"

"Go." Lovino snapped, his eyes flickering up to meet with Arthur's to give him a full view of his glare. The only issue was that Lovino didn't expect an equally threatening glare to come from Arthur.

"Fine! You don't like me, that's perfectly fine. Not a lot of people do. But to talk to someone like that is not only damn right rude, it's insulting. I don't expect you to allow me into your little friendship group with open arms but I only met you yesterday and already you act as if I've done something wrong. Have I? If I have I didn't mean it… I'll… I'll just go then…" Arthur's speech trailed off into a mumble, his scowl fading slightly as he dropped his gaze down to the floor, eyeing his feet instead of those in front of him. The whole table was quiet before Arthur lifted his eyes again to see Lovino's scowl had also decreased, now barely even there as his brownish eyes stared at him with a mixture of surprise and thoughtfulness before dropping to the table, unable to take the pressure of Arthur's eyes. Feliciano on the other hand looked absolutely gobsmacked but Arthur was past caring. He didn't need the sympathetic looks from him and so he turned harshly – his head spinning for a moment at the sudden movement – and walked off towards Gilbert's table where the trio were already looking at him approach, albeit looking slightly shocked; obviously they had heard his outburst too. Still too angry to care, the Brit screeched back the chair beside Antonio and threw himself into it, his bag hitting the ground with a large thud. For a moment no words were spoken as Arthur burnt holes into the table with his eyes and glances were exchanged between the other three.

"… Wow kid that was some speech." Gilbert eventually broke the silence, crimson eyes looking at the blond across from him. Green orbs fluttered upwards and met with those same red eyes.

"…Thanks…" He muttered before looking back down at the table. The albino looked to his friends on either side of him giving them a look that told them to do something instead of leaving it all up to him. Francis eyed the tray of food in front of him before pushing it over to the Brit. Arthur instantly eyed the food before him before allowing his eyes to look at Francis who was smiling at him, sky blue eyes crystal clear.

"Y-You're giving me your food?"

"Oui, someone has to feed you. Look at you! So skinny!" He smirked and reached across to poke at the Brit's arms to which he frowned and slapped his hand away.

"I am not skinny! I am perfectly healthy for a man of my age."

"Of course, now, eat up. Don't worry mon lapin it's proper food." Arthur continued to look at him before allowing his gaze to drop to the food and his scowl to soften. Francis was right, the food did look edible today; it looked rather nice actually in comparison to yesterday's lunch and his stomach even rumbled in approval. Just was he was about to – hesitantly – begin the dinner given to him he stopped, eyebrows drawing together at he looked to the Frenchman resting his head upon his hands held up by his elbows on the table.

"Wait did you call me… a rabbit?"

"Why of course."

"Why?"

"Because you look almost as innocent as a little rabbit, it's a rare thing to come across in this world." Francis' eyes looked him directly in the eye and Arthur could see there was more to that sentence than what he had said. Never had he been called innocent before but the distant but pure look in the other blond's azure orbs made Arthur question just what the Frenchman had seen in order to reach that conclusion.

"…T-Thank you… for the food I mean!" Arthur looked down at his food to avoid the looks of everyone at the table, knowing full well they were all watching him. Francis chuckled and sat back in his chair.

"You're welcome." He winked at the Brit with a white grin, Arthur rolling his eyes and digging into the food. It certainly wasn't as bad as he had expected and was rather enjoying the food that Francis had given to him so willingly, that was until his leaf green orbs scanned the table and noticed no other trays on the table, no lunch boxes either, meaning he was the only one eating. He suddenly became very self-conscious and stopped, looking at the others.

"W-Why aren't you eating anything?"

"Oh, we aren't hungry," Antonio chirped from his side with a bright smile. Arthur only raised his eyebrows before turning to Gilbert, staring at him sceptically.

"Surely you're hungry. I can't imagine you being the one to refuse a meal." Antonio and Francis instantly burst into laughter, Gilbert pouting before slouching back his chair and kicking his feet up on the table.

"What're you trying to say?"

"Nothing, I was simply stating my assumptions. I meant nothing by it," Arthur said before resuming his meal, the playful smirk evident on his lips showing he meant everything about what he had said and Gilbert didn't miss it in the slightest.

"That smirk says otherwise eyebrows!"

"Whatever you think," Arthur chuckled as Antonio and Francis wiped their eyes free of tears and slowed their rapid breathing. Although this was not how he imagined his lunch would turn out Arthur was rather enjoying himself. It seemed like Gilbert, Francis and Antonio liked him enough to joke around with him. As conversation erupted across the table between them – Gilbert naturally being the loudest – Arthur couldn't help but glance across to Lovino and Feliciano's table. Turns out that they were already watching him, their eyes meeting before Lovino got up from his chair in a huff, walking away. Feliciano was quick to follow, giving a very small wave to the Brit behind his back as he did so. Green eyes simply watched them go before he was dragged into the conversation at the table, finding himself happy to join in even if the three of them were rather overwhelming all at once.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

At the end of the day Arthur found himself walking home alone – which he was perfectly fine with, this way he was able to process his thoughts in peace. His classes hadn't been particularly testing today but he felt as if he had pushed himself in his work, hoping to make good impressions on all his teachers and hopefully show he was willing to push himself for the good grades. He'd always been a studious lad, studying when he needed to and having a natural talent for separating his social life from his schoolwork; simply because he didn't really have a social life to being with. However now, Arthur felt things were looking up. The people he'd met here in America were very different from the people back home in England. Sure they gave him strange looks but he'd met some nice people who seemed to have accepted him into their friendship groups easily and were willing to help him settle into the routine of the school.

He was sure his social life would begin to look up but he knew he would have to study hard and get the brilliant grades his parents were expecting. It was a lot of pressure – living up to his parent's standards and expectations – but so far he was handling it well.

After all it had only been two days of school so he had the whole year to look forward too.

Just as he was about to enter his apartment building his eyes wondered behind it to the thick woodland standing just behind the structure of flats. When he was younger his father would always take him out for walks and tell him about the wildlife. Arthur naturally got along with the animals – something his father said was a talent, Arthur wasn't so sure. However he barely remembered those times now. He could remember leaving his home and going into the woods at the back of his house and could remember coming home but never for the life of him could he remember what he did with his father in those woods. Would they play together when they reached where his father would lead him? Would they have father-son time away from his older brothers? Arthur never knew. It was a blank area in his mind that he longed to have back.

Suddenly feeling nostalgic, Arthur decided that a peaceful wonder around the woods would be the perfect way to escape his responsibilities – his homework for example – and allow his mind to wonder. However the sensible side of his brain told him that it would be better to get rid of that one responsibility called homework first so that he wouldn't have to ruin what would be a perfect evening when he returned home. Making his way up the stairs to his apartment – living on the 3rd floor was a good work out for his legs – his thoughts continued to fight.

Unfortunately for him it was the sensible side that won and to be honest he wasn't all that surprised; it was what usual came out on top and reasoned with his situations. So when he made it to his apartment and unlocked the door, he walked in with a plan. He was quick to wonder into the kitchen and dropped his bag on the table, making his way around it to grab a quick glass of fresh orange juice out the fridge before slouching into the closest chair. Homework every night was a pain, especially since he was the new guy and seemed to have much more to do than everyone else but, hey, he wasn't complaining – it just happened to be an inconvenience that had appeared all his life. Pale fingers dove into the mass that was his bag and pulled out a handful of books, hoping the ones he pulled out were the subjects he had homework for. Peridot orbs were thankful to see that they were and so he got to work with scribbling the answers into the pages of his subject books as quickly, but as neatly, as possible.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

By the time his homework was all done the sun was setting on the horizon, its orange and yellow colours filtering in through the windows and casting dark shadows across the pale floor. Tired from the homework he'd spent forever doing; Arthur allowed his books and pens to remain sprawled across the kitchen table, making a mental note to clean them up when he returned. After a quick change of clothes - A simple t-shirt within the union jack on it, what? He was allowed the be patriotic now and then, a pair of black jeans that hugged his legs comfortably tucked neatly into a pair of boots and black hoodie thrown over the top with the zip left open - Arthur was out the door and desperate to reached the open woodland where he could enjoy some peace and alone time away from his stuffy apartment. Swiftly looking back over to check he'd left the apartment in an okay state he locked the door and hopped down the stairs for a stress free walk to allow the fresh air that nature provided to reach his lungs, not expecting his walk would end with him questioning the world he knew.


End file.
